New NASA camera spots methane ‘super emitter’ in New Mexico

An International Space Station instrument searches for dust and finds a methane vent in the Permian Basin near Carlsbad

A press release from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory regarding its new mineral-mapping instrument on the International Space Station sent Petroleum Conservation Division (OCD) employees scrambling last week in October.

The notification, sent to science enthusiasts around the world, showcased the agency’s new ground-scanning camera and led to an image of a massive methane leak from what appears to be a gas well along the Pecos River, 10 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico. .

In the image, the leaking plume stretches just over three kilometers to the north, a whirlwind of angry reds and blues reflecting different concentrations of the incredibly potent greenhouse gas. These high concentrations are the reason the new instrument picked up the event, which it wasn’t exactly looking for.

NASA’s survey of Earth’s surface mineral dust source – known as EMIT – originally went to space to map minerals in this planet’s deserts, in part of an effort to understand how dust from these places affects the global climate. Methane detection is a plus.

“It’s not officially part of the mission as stated and funded,” said Andrew K. Thorpe, a JPL research technologist who works on the project and has studied methane emissions for the past decade. “I’m just tapping into a small portion of the data that’s already being collected on this other NASA mission, and I’m tapping into that for the methane work.”

A press release from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory regarding its new mineral-mapping instrument on the International Space Station sent Petroleum Conservation Division (OCD) employees scrambling last week in October.

The notification, sent to science enthusiasts around the world, showcased the agency’s new ground-scanning camera and led to an image of a massive methane leak from what appears to be a gas well along the Pecos River, 10 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico. .

In the image, the leaking plume stretches just over three kilometers to the north, a whirlwind of angry reds and blues reflecting different concentrations of the incredibly potent greenhouse gas. These high concentrations are the reason the new instrument picked up the event, which it wasn’t exactly looking for.

NASA’s survey of Earth’s surface mineral dust source – known as EMIT – originally went to space to map minerals in this planet’s deserts, in part of an effort to understand how dust from these places affects the global climate. Methane detection is a plus.

“It’s not officially part of the mission as stated and funded,” said Andrew K. Thorpe, a JPL research technologist who works on the project and has studied methane emissions for the past decade. “I’m just tapping into a small portion of the data that’s already being collected on this other NASA mission, and I’m tapping into that for the methane work.”

This new plume near Carlsbad was releasing more than 40,300 pounds of methane per hour.

In addition to the image, NASA documented a one-hour release rate at this site that was far greater than the amount reported at the nearest well site for all of 2022.” OCD immediately contacted NASA for additional information and has begun to investigate this as a possible major release when it becomes aware of the information,” said Sidney Hill, spokesperson for the Department of Energy, Minerals and natural resources, under which OCD operates.He said OCD inspectors were on the ground investigating the area pictured the day after the NASA press release was received.

This notice and the colorful image of Carlsbad were the first mentions of methane on the project’s website, but finding the climate-warming gas wasn’t entirely unexpected. The International Space Station’s EMIT instrument is an updated version of a similar project that has mapped methane emissions in the Permian Basin in recent years.

Thorpe said that earlier project defined sites like the one near Carlsbad as “super emitters” because of the phenomenal amounts of methane they release.

On those previous flights, he said, they detected emissions from wells and other equipment ranging from 22 to 44,000 pounds of methane per hour. The upper end of this range was made up of “super emitters”.

This new plume near Carlsbad was releasing more than 40,300 pounds of methane per hour. Thorpe said, “We’re safe to say these are important shows and they belong to that class of ‘super emitters’.” This class represents a small percentage of the total number of emission sites, but combined, their vast volumes contribute 40 to 50 percent of methane emissions for a given area, he said.

“OCD understands that NASA images indicate the highest estimated concentration point at the time the image was captured, but does not necessarily identify the specific source,” Hill said. “OCD examined the entire area around the plume. OCD is still reviewing the results of its field investigation.

Overlaying the NASA image with OCD’s online oil and gas map places the highest methane concentration at the top of Harroun Com #001, a well operated by Marathon Oil. Thorpe said the reading was made “in the period of July, August,” but he couldn’t be specific on the date due to policies against releasing individual data points (like a single show) before. to publish a complete data set.

Last year, the OCD implemented new statewide venting and flaring rules to reduce natural gas emissions from industry to less than 2% of total gas production. by 2026. Producers must report all natural gas that comes out of the ground and account for all venting, flaring and the like so that what goes to a pipeline equals what goes out the well.

Failure to report an issue like the one in the NASA image can result in fines of up to $2,500 per day, according to Hill.

Karina Brooks, communications manager at Marathon Oil, said via email: “Based on our initial review of the data, including our wells in the region, it does not appear that our operations are the source(s) of the emissions. of methane. reflected in the photograph.

Thorpe said high concentrations of methane like those in the center of the plume indicate the source of a leak, but “that being said, there is a bit of ambiguity.” The pixel size of the instrument’s camera records squares 60 feet in diameter, so it cannot distinguish locations smaller than that. But the next closest well or other amenity is more than 2,200 feet from the plume hotspot and the Marathon well.

The release rate of 40,300 pounds of methane per hour documented by NASA is 5% higher than the total venting reported to the state by the Marathon well for all of 2022 to date. That’s an amount roughly equal to the greenhouse gas emissions of 100 cars driven for a year – released into the atmosphere every hour.

“We will be cooperating with the state agency to investigate the matter, which limits our ability to process [this] investigating in detail at this time,” Brooks said.

Thorpe said the image is a snapshot in time due to the nature of the ISS’s orbit, which is shifted several degrees each time it travels around the world. It circles the Earth about 16 times a day, but because of the lag, it takes three days to fly over the same location.

“We don’t know if he was broadcasting before. We don’t know if he was broadcasting afterwards. But we know we picked up a broadcast there,” he said.

“I think it’s terrifying that it’s so close,” said Kayley Shoup, an organizer with environmental and community group Citizens Caring for the Future. She lives in Carlsbad and worries about the associated gases that leak with the methane and contribute to ozone and smog in the area and lead to respiratory problems.

The EPA has said it may soon declare the Permian Basin an ozone-neutral zone under the Clean Air Act, which would require tighter controls on emissions from oil and gas fields.

Hill said OCD was investigating the post to find the source, but could not comment further on a matter that is still under investigation.

And perhaps OCD should prepare for similar investigations in the future. Thorpe said methane information from EMIT and other dedicated methane-tracking satellites slated for launch over the next two years will greatly increase the world’s ability to find, locate and measure methane emissions from the oil and gas. “There’s going to be more examples, and it’s going to be shared more frequently,” he said.

“I think it’s in everyone’s interest to know that,” he said. “You give people data and I hope they use it accordingly.”

Thorpe said JPL plans to have a public data portal operational early next year with all mission data. Shoup said she was looking forward to a new online resource for documenting significant methane emissions in her garden. “It’s really wonderful news,” she said.

This story was originally published by Capital & Main. It is republished at Source New Mexico with permission.